More than two million people are expected to vote for independent candidates today.
Hundreds of independents and micro parties are standing, often with colourful names such as the Beer, Baccy and Scratchings party, the Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol party, or Give me Back Elmo party. However, there are also serious challengers to the mainstream parties, often backing a local cause.
Yet despite the vote share for independents and minor parties doubling from 3 per cent in 2001 to 6 per cent in 2010, few independents have ever made it to Westminster.
Martin Bell, the former journalist, is one of the best known, having ousted Neil Hamilton, the former Tory MP, from Tatton in 1997 after the cash-for-questions affair. Mr Bell, who still wears his